George Strait was honored tonight with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 58th Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards. The 72-year-old has already won just about every other award the industry can bestow. This accolade is a fitting capstone to his truly impressive and legendary career.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Fans on Facebook thought Strait merited a better tribute in stage. One posted, "This tribute should've been more than it was." Another wrote "YES YES he deserves it." A third thought, "He is the best and that was not much at all!"
Per foxnews.com, "The award was first introduced in 2012, with Nelson being the first recipient, and is awarded to a musician who has reached the highest level of recognition in country music, taking into account both their musical accomplishments and their humanitarian efforts."
CMA Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern warmly lauded Strait. In a statement via foxnews.com, she said, "There have been few other artists as authentically Texas and authentically Country as George Strait, and country music fans all over the world have been better for it. As a three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and the most nominated artist of all time, he serves as an inspiration and icon to many of the great, new artists we know today. I am thrilled we are awarding him with this deserving honor."
There was a memorable tribute performance for Strait from stars including Lainey Wilson, Jamey Johnson, Parker McCollum, Chris Stapleton, and Miranda Lambert.
Per the bio on his web site, Strait, known respectfully and deservedly as the King Of Country Music, "has earned more than 60 major entertainment industry awards." A native of Texas, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
George Strait Was Inspired Early On By British Rock 'n' Roll Groups
He Gravitated To Country Music While Serving In The Army
In the early 1970s, Strait started singing with a country music group on the military base where he was stationed in Hawaii, per his bio on the Country Music Hall of Fame web site. It was a turning point for him. Strait began listening to the greats of the time, like Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, and George Jones.
Nashville Didn't Show Much Interest In Strait After His Military Stint
Then His Big Break Came When He Signed With MCA In 1981
Strait's timing was fortuitous. The popular film Urban Cowboy (1980) starring John Travolta and Debra Winger was causing a stir. A surge of interest took place in all things Western, especially music. Strait's 1981 tune "Unwound" zoomed to the sixth spot on the Billboard charts. He had arrived and would never look back.
There would be a string of number chart-topping hits for Strait during the 1980s - "Am I Blue," "Right or Wrong," and "All My Ex's Live In Texas."
Strait's Young Daughter Lost Her Life In A Tragic Car Crash In 1986
She Was Just A Teenager At The Time
Jenifer Strait was only 13 when she lost her life in a car accident on June 25, 1986 in San Marcos, Texas. "When Strait won Male Vocalist of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards that year—for the second year in a row—he accepted it in Jenifer's memory," per his Country Music Hall of Fame bio.
He Has Tried His Hand At Songwriting
Strait Often Wrote Songs With A Group Of Longtime Collaborators
Strait's favorite songsmiths and collaborators have included certain special people. Among them are the much-lauded Dean Dillon, Whitey Shafer, Aaron Barker, Jim Lauderdale, and Strait's son, Bubba.
